Stone applicator



Aug. 20, 1968 A. R. SMITH STONE APPLICATOR Filed Aug. 15, 1967 INVENTOR Albert R. Smzth ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,397,674 STONE APPLICATOR Albert R. Smith, 625 Robert St., Lansing, Mich. 48910 Filed Aug. 15, 1967, Ser. No. 660,650 9 Claims. (Cl. 118-200) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An applicator for applying stones to a vertical wall surface is composed of a hopper for holding stones on an inclined shelf so that the stones can drop out of an opening at the bottom end of the hopper. The stones fall in front of a rapidly reciprocating resilient pusher block which drives the stones against the vertical wall surface.

This invention relates to an applicator for applying stones to a vertical wall surrace.

In my copending application Ser. No. 565,480, filed July 15, 1966, for Stone Setting Apparatus, I have disclosed a manually held hopper for holding stones, and from which stones are pushed by a reciprocating drive bar to set the stones into the matrix on a vertical wall. This matrix is composed of a hydraulic cement, plastic synthetic resin and preferably an epoxy cement. According to said disclosure, tracks are set up against the wall surface and the hopper is moved manually downwardly on the tracks as the stones are being set. While this apparatus works well when the wall surface is substantially flat, yet it has been found that when the wall is slightly curved or warped, the presence of the tracks prevents an even and uniform placement of the stones into the wall surface.

It is the object of this invention to improve upon the aforesaid apparatus, to produce a stone applicator which does not need tracks, and which will apply stones evenly and uniformly onto a wall surface whether it is flat or slightly curved or warped.

In general, these objects are obtained by using a manually held hopper containing stones underneath which is a rapidly reciprocating pusher block composed of a resilient material such as foam rubber or foam urethane. This applicator is pressed against the wall and as the pusher block reciprocates the stones dropped in front of it are pushed into the adhesive matrix on the wall. The applicator is moved from the bottom toward the top of the Wall as the stones are being applied and lays its own bed upon which the pusher block travels as it moves up the wall.

The means by which the objects of the invention are obtained are described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a cross-sectional view through the applicator in position for placing stones against a wall;

FIGURE 2 is a front view of the applicator of FIG- URE 1 as taken on the line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of the applicator; and

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 1.

The applicator is composed of a rectangular box having a front wall 12, a back wall 14, side walls 16 and a bottom 18. Within the box is an inclined shelf 20 which extends outwardly through an opening 12a at the bottom of front wall 12 to the front edge of the bottom 18. The front wall is extended into a forwardly overhanging flange 12 to which a handle H is attached. Bottom 18 has a downwardly stepped front edge portion 18a whose end stops at the lower end of shelf 20.

3,397,674 Patented Aug. 20, 1968 The side walls 16- have wings 16a extending forwardly of the front wall 12 keeping the stones S sliding down the shelf 20 and through opening 12a from falling off sidewise from the applicator. A door 12b is slidably held on the front wall 12 by stud bolts and wing nuts 12c so that the size of the opening 12a can be adjusted.

A flat bar 30 is slidably held between bracket plates 32 and 34. Plate 34 is welded to a rib 18b formed in bottom 18 and serves as a reinforcement as well as having threaded bolt receiving holes. Bolts 36 extending through slots 38 in bar 30 are screwed to plate 34 and into bottom 18. The forward end of the bar 30 terminates in a downwardly turned flange 40. The rear end of bar 30 is coupled to a motor M with the motor housing being fastened to wall 14 by a brace 42.

Resilient pusher block 50 composed of foam rubber, foam urethane, or other suitable resilient material is fastened to an angle iron 52 by adhesive or any other suitable means. Angle iron 52 has a horizontal flange 52a and a vertical flange 52b. The vertical flange is secured to flange 40 by wing nut bolts 54. Block 50 has an exposed surface 50a which projects about /1" beyond the end of flange 52w.

In operation, stones S of the desired size are placed in the hopper and the opening 12a set for that particular type of stone. Motor M reciprocates bar 30 at approximately 1800 strokes a minute. The motor is a conventional electric hedge trimming motor. The stroke of the bar 30 is about The running motor vibrates the hopper so that stones slide down shelf 20. On its rearward stroke, the front side 51 of the block 50 retracts to lie flush with the front edge of stepped portion 18a. The stones then drop in front of the block 50. Starting at the bottom, the applicator is lifted slowly while being held as firmly as possible against the surface of the wall. Stones falling in front of the front side 51 of the block are impressed in the adhesive matrix B on vertical wall W. The machine is moved upwardly laying its own bed of stones. Due to the rapid reciprocation, the stones are evenly pushed into the surface of the wall. The use of the resilient block 50 compensates for any irregularities or curvatures in the surface of the wall. No tracks are needed to guide the applicator.

In a practical example, the block 50 2 x 2 x 14 inches. Any suitable resilient pad material can be used for this block. The applicator will lay from 10 to 12 square feet per minute, all depending upon the size of the stone being applied.

Having now described the means by which the objects of the invention are obtained, I claim:

1. A stone applicator for applying stone to a vertical wall surface comprising a hopper for receiving a plurality of stones, a stone outlet opening extending horizontally across substantially the entire length of the bottom end of said hopper, resilient pusher block means beneath said outlet opening, and drive bar means connected to said block means and slidably joined to said hopper for reciprocating said block means beneath said outlet opening to force rows of stones dropping from said outlet opening to in front of said block means onto the wall surface.

2. An applicator as in claim 1, said pusher block means comprising a block composed of resilient material.

3. An applicator as in claim 2, said resilient material comprising rubber.

4. An applicator as in claim 2, said resilient material comprising foam rubber.

5. An applicator as in claim 2, said resilient material comprising synthetic plastic material.

6. An applicator as in claim 2, said resilient material comprising foam synthetic plastic material.

7. An applicator as in claim 1, said pusher block means comprising an angle iron having a vertical flange and a horizontal flange, and a block of resilient material secured to said angle iron and having a width greater than said horizontal flange so as to extend outwardly beyond said horizontal flange.

8. An applicator as in claim 7, said drive bar means comprising a bar joined to said angle iron, and a motor joined to said bar.

9. An applicator as in claim 8, said bar comprising a flat bar, slots in said bar, a fastening means extending through said slots for securing said bar to the bottom of said hopper.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Stiriss 221-241 XR Wheeler 118-241 XR Deland 221268 XR Desi 221-268 XR Danjczek 221268 XR Van Endert.

Kireta 221-268 XR Brocq 221-268 XR CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner. R. I. SMITH, Assistant Examiner. 

